My Hero Valentine
by Roziella
Summary: Midoriya continued to rub Todoroki's shoulder and back as he saw him getting more emotional. "This home is the only good thing my father has ever made." "That isn't true," Midoriya slipped out quietly before he could think. Todoroki turned to face him and Midoriya felt his body stiffen. "I mean – I just meant – he made you."
1. Chapter 1

**Thursday February 13, 2020 8:33 pm**

"I said I'm coming, now get your hands off of me!" Bakugo yelled as Uraraka dragged him into the common area with the rest of the class.

"I think that's everyone," Uraraka said as she took her seat on the couch next to Asui.

"Is the whole class meeting here?" Asked Midoriya as he looked around, "Where is Aoyama?"

Yaoyorozu walked to the front of the group, "He went home to spend Valentine's Day with his boyfriend so he won't be a part of this meeting, but it isn't an official class or hero type meeting so we can proceed without him."

"If this isn't an official class meeting then I am not staying here with you nerds," Bakugo stood up to leave and the girls formed a wall in front of him.

"No one is leaving until we explain why we brought you all in here," Asui said shakily. "Ribbit."

"WHAT?!" Bakugo screamed! "Why are you holding us here?! And why are the girls from class 1B here?! This is ridiculous! You better start explaining fast!"

"That's what we are trying to do. Now will you sit down?" Yaoyorozu said as Bakugo took his seat again. "We brought you all here to discuss Valentine's Day. Most of us are single and we girls came up with a fun game we can all play. We made these little voting cards and you can pair everyone up to go on a date for Valentine's Day which I will pay for since this whole thing was my idea. There are obviously more boys than there are girls in our class which is why we invited some of the girls from class 1B to play along with us. There will still be more boys than girls though so some of you may still end up unmatched. If you are in the group of boys that are unmatched, I will pay for you to have a boy's night out so you aren't left out of the fun. Isn't it great?!"

"It sounds pretty girly," Kirishima said immediately and looked to Bakugo who nodded his head in agreement.

"Girly?! This is great! We get to go on dates with the girls!" Mineta screamed with tears in his eyes.

"I know romance is a little girly, but we're all here and we're all friends. Even if you don't want it to be a romantic thing, we can just go out as friends," Ashido chimed in with a smile.

"If we were going to hang out as friends, couldn't we do that as a group? Why do we have to go in boy-girl couples?" Todoroki asked calmly.

Midoriya nodded along before saying, "That's true. If we are doing this because we are all friends, we should all hang out together."

"NO!" All of the girls yelled together.

"Yes we are doing this because we are all friends, but we were talking and none of us girls have ever been on a Valentine's date and we have all been so focused on training we didn't get a chance to go out and find dates. We like and trust you boys and we just wanted a chance to go on a nice date and forget about training for one night," Explained Yaoyorozu.

The boys all got quiet for a moment before Midoriya chimed in again, "Okay, if it will make the girls happy, I say we just do it. Besides, it could be fun. None of us have been on dates during this training either."

"Speak for yourself, Deku," Bakugo said in a low growl.

"We live together, Bakugo," Tokoyami interjected. "We know you haven't been on any dates."

Iida shot straight up in his seat until he was on his feet and waving his arms around wildly, "We'll do it! We would be honored to take the girls out for Valentine's Day!"

"YAY!" The girls all shouted at once.

"Well if everyone agrees, I am going to pass out the voting sheets. Make sure to pair up as many people as you can," Yaoyorozu said as she walked the voting sheets around. "When you're done, fold them up and put them in this box so we can tally them up anonymously."

They all began reading the sheets and make decisions about who should be going out with who. The girls were all excited, but the boys had various reactions from excitement, to nervousness, to determination. Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya ended up not voting for themselves to go on a date with anyone. Bakugo and Todoroki didn't want to participate and Midoriya felt awkward about the whole situation to say the least. A few weeks back, Uraraka told him that she had feelings for him. He told her that he was flattered and had she mentioned it about a year ago he may have agreed to go out, but for all the wrong reasons. Midoriya noticed that he was starting to develop feelings for another one of their classmates – a male classmate – and he may have said yes to cover up his feelings and she deserved to be more than a beard. IT was that day that he came out to his friend and she had been totally supportive ever since. He completed his voting sheet and dropped it into the box before anyone else had finished theirs. The rest of the class didn't take long. Most of the boys finished long before the girls. They didn't seem to take it as seriously as the girls were.

The whole class was done in about fifteen minutes and the girls took about 20 minutes to tally up all of the votes. "And the results are in!" Yelled Yaoyorozu. "I am having the girls line up at the front of the room. I will name off the lucky boy who is going on a date with her and then he will go stand up front with her and the two of you can start working on planning your date for tomorrow. Since they were gracious enough to step in and help us with our numbers, we will be starting with the girls from 1B. Itsuka Kendo will be going out with Mashirao Ojiro. Oh how cute is that? The fist with the tail! I love it!"

Ojiro took his place at the front of the room with Kendo before they decided to go sit at the kitchen table to plan out their date. Yaoyorozu continued reading off the couples, "Next is Ibara Shiozaki who will be going out with Koji Koda." She continued reading off the names until all of the girls were partnered up as follows:

Itsuka Kendo and Mashirao Ojiro

Ibara Shiozaki and Koji Koda

Kinoko Komori and Rikido Sato

Yui Kodai and Hanta Sero

Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima

Tsuyu Asui and Fumikage Tokoyami

Kyoka Jiro and Denki Kaminari

Toru Hagakuri and Mezo Shoji

The only girls left were Uraraka and Yaoyorozu. Midoriya was getting more and more nervous that he would end up on a date with Uraraka and it would be awkward because of their recent confessions. Luckily, her name was read off next, "Ochaco Uraraka and Katsuki Bakugo."

"WHAT?!" They both explained. "People thought we should go on a date together?!"

"Would you two shut up and go plan your date so I can see who I am matched up with?" They both fell silent. "Thank you. And the lucky boy who will be taking me out is Teyna Iida. So that is all of our girls."

Midoriya, Todoroki, and Mineta were left without matches. Midoriya and Todoroki let out a sigh of relief before a blood curdling scream came bursting out of Mineta, "NOOOOOOOOOO! You guys didn't think I should go out with any of the girls? But I love you girls the most! This isn't fair!"

Just as the tears started gushing out of his eyes Yaoyorozu spoke up, "Would you please calm down, we actually had something come up that we didn't know how to address so we wanted to talk to you all about it before we made a decision." Everyone gathered back around to hear the announcement, "Two of the boys were matched up with one another and we wanted to ask you if you would be willing to go on a date or if you would prefer to have the boys' night out."

"I am not going on a date with one of these two! I do not play for that team!" Mineta yelled out with more tears.

"Would you shut up!?" The girls yelled. "It's not you!"

Mineta got quiet and a huge rush of embarrassment became apparent on Midoriya's cheeks. Bakugo could barely contain his laughter as the realization set in that Midoriya was matched up with Todoroki, Deku and Icy Hot? Hahahaha! Are you two losers really going to go on a date? Of course you wouldn't be able to get any of the others to go out with you."

"Bakugo, unless you are suggesting that same sex relationships are somehow not as valid as any other relationship I would shut up. If our friends and classmates Midoriya and Todoroki want to go on a date, let them go on a date!" Iida interjected.

Bakugo didn't stop laughing, "I'm not laughing because they're both boys. I'm laughing because they're both losers!"

"That sounds more accurate," Ashido said with a laugh.

Once Bakugo finally stopped laughing, the room was completely silent until Todoroki spoke, "If we did go on the date, what would Mineta do?"

"About that," Yaoyorozu started. "We called Pony Tsunotori and she said if Mineta was the only one not matched up, she would go on a date with him. She didn't volunteer originally because she wanted to focus on her training, but when we explained the situation she said she would be happy to help if we needed her."

"So the three of us can have a boys night, or we could all go on dates with… someone?" Midoriya asked for clarification.

"YOU HAVE TO GO ON THE DATE, YOU GUYS! I HAVE TO GO ON A DATE WITH A GIRL!" Mineta screamed as he ran over and dropped to his knees in front of Todoroki and Midoriya with tears rushing down his face.

"Will you please stop crying? We will go! Okay? We will go!" Midoriya screamed out without thinking about what he was saying. "That is, of course, if Todoroki agrees as well."

"Midoriya," Todoroki stood up and Midoriya's heat skipped a beat wondering what he was going to say. Todoroki started walking towards his bedroom with his hands in his pockets, "I will pick you up at 5."

"YES!" Mineta screamed.

The room was filled with chatter as everyone started planning their dates. Mineta was jumping around the room screaming about how wonderful it was that he was going to be so close to a girl. Midoriya, on the other hand, was shaking with nerves. What was he going to do? Todoroki was so sure of himself when he said he would pick him up at 5. He didn't seem nervous at all and he didn't tell Midoriya where they were going or what he should wear. Did he already have a plan? Was this going to be a real date at all or were they just going to hang out so Mineta could go on a date? Did Todoroki think they would just be hanging out as friends or did he actually want to go on a date with him?

"Deku," Uraraka said quietly as she snuck away from the group. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure, Uraraka. What's up?" He asked through the nerves.

"I was going to tell the girls to vote for you and Todoroki to go out together because of your crush, but I decided not to go through with it. Everyone voted for you two on their own. Well not everyone, but 14 of us. Isn't that exciting? We all think that you two should go out together!"

Midoriya sat back for a second and thought about it for a moment. That many people voted for them to go out together? What was everyone seeing that he wasn't seeing? Could they tell that he liked Todoroki or did they really think that the two of them had some kind of chemistry? Midoriya got lost in thought until eventually it was time to go to bed and all he dreamed about was his date for the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Friday February 14, 2020 9:27 am**

Everyone was in homeroom listening to Mr. Aizawa's lecture distractedly as they worried about what they would all be doing tonight.

"Are any of you listening to me?" Mr. Aizawa exclaimed and everyone in the class sat straight up in their seats. "I have been up here lecturing for over an hour and some of you haven't looked up at me once! What is going on in here?"

Everyone in the group was completely silent until Mr. Aizawa's eyes got angrier, "Someone tell me what is going on right now or I am putting you all under house arrest until someone addresses what is going on here!"

"NO!" The girls screamed. "You can't put us under house arrest! We are going on dates tonight!"

The boys all slumped down in their seats with embarrassment, "You're telling me that you aren't paying attention to my lecture because you are going on date? YOU ARE LETTING LOVE DISTRACT YOU?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Everyone's cheeks turned a deep shade of red, "If you are all too preoccupied to pay attention to my lecture, then we will move on to endurance training. Grab your things, put on your costumes, and meet me in the training arena by 10:00 or you WILL be under house arrest for the whole weekend."

Mr. Aizawa stormed out of the room and the class let out a sigh of relief. Everyone started to quickly gather their belongings and Bakugo scoffed, "If the girls hadn't been so dumb and blurted that out about our dates, he wouldn't be so damn pissed off."

"He was pissed off anyways. We were all distracted. Even you," Todoroki reminded him.

Bakugo's cheeks got bright red before storming out of the room, "Whatever."

The class all arrived on time though breathless which Mr. Aizawa took note of immediately, "If you are already out of breath, how do you expect to last through this endurance training? You are all weak. You're weak physically and you are weak minded! How could you possibly allow yourselves to get distracted by something as simple as a Valentine's Day date? Relationships are nothing to mess around with if you aren't mature enough to keep your cool. How many top heroes have you seen that maintain stable romantic relationships? If you think you're mature enough for this, then you'll have to buckle down and really focus on your training, not be staring off into space daydreaming. When heroes get into relationships, people get hurt. Villains use those relationships against us and the people we love end up dead!"

A very dense air fell around all of the students as his words settled in among them. They had all been so excited to be going on dates that they didn't realize how dangerous these distractions could be. Uraraka knew this firsthand as she had been distracted worrying about Midoriya before but as the feeling wore off and she was clearheaded she realized how much less effort she had put into her training while he was around. Midoriya, on the other hand was still head over heels in love with Todoroki and found himself constantly distracted while he was thinking about him. But in this moment all Midoriya could focus on was what Mr. Aizawa had said. It sounded like he had spoken from experience. Did he lose someone that he loved because he got distracted? Is that why he wouldn't go out with Ms. Joke? Who did he lose? How had Midoriya never heard about it before now when he spent his entire childhood studying pro heroes and their backstories?

"WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING THERE? GET TO WORK!" Mr. Aizawa exclaimed.

The class scattered and went to the stations with their names on them to begin working on their endurance, "You better get to work. You can take as many breaks as you need, but you must each stand on your platform for 5 hours. Your platforms were designed to test your endurance based on your quirk. I was saving them for another time, but since you all seem to be so distracted today, I think it's best to keep your heads in your training. If you want to get to your dates on time you will have to stay focused on completing your assigned tasks."

Each platform was set up with 4 simulated enemies that would dodge and attack the heroes. Their goal was not to destroy the enemies, but to avoid them for 5 hours without getting knocked off of their platform which was only 25 square feet. They were allowed to take as many breaks as they wanted by pushing the blue button next to their platform but couldn't leave the training arena until they had been on the platform for a total of 5 hours which was measured by a clock which was also next to their platform. Some of them were starting to panic when the buzzer went off and the simulated enemies started charging at them causing them all to leap into action.


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday February 14, 2020 1:47 pm**

They had all been battling for hours now and had various times on their clocks. Bakugo, Todoroki, and Midoriya had the highest times, with 3 hours and 39 minutes each. None of them had taken a single break all day. Next was Iida with 3 hours and 32 minutes, Tokoyami with 3 hours and 27 minutes, Uraraka with 3 hours and 17 minutes, and Asui with 3 hours and 9 minutes. The others each hovered just under 3 hours. Every student in the class was dripping with sweat and barely able to control their breathing. Mr. Aizawa had expected them all to take more breaks or struggle more to keep their times up. As he watched them all getting exhausted he felt that maybe he had overreacted but at this point he wasn't going to let them give up, and he knew that it was still an important lesson for them all to learn. Especially after what had happened to him when he was younger.

"Mr. Aizawa?" He heard young Midoriya state breathlessly.

"Yes, Midoriya?" He replied. "Taking your first break I see."

"Yes sir. I am just stopping to get a drink, but I wanted to ask you a question if it wasn't too personal."

"You may ask, but I cannot guarantee that I will answer," Mr. Aizawa responded.

"Well I noticed how upset you were about all of us being so distracted by our dates and you really emphasized that people we love may die. I never read anything about you losing someone when I was studying, but you seemed so upset. I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay and ask who it was that you may have lost," Midoriya stated.

Midoriya has always been so perceptive but I didn't realize he would pick up on this, "I'm fine Midoriya, but as usual you are correct. I did lose someone a very very long time ago, but if you want to finish on time I don't think I should tell you this story right now."

"I have time," Midoriya piped up. "My date isn't picking me up until 5. As long as I am done by 4, I should have time to shower and get dressed. Although I don't know what to wear. I have no idea where we are going."

"Midoriya, the point of this exercise is to keep you all from getting distracted. Me going on about the tragedies of my love life would have quite the opposite effect, don't you think?" Mr. Aizawa responded.

Midoriya hung his head, "I suppose you're correct. I am sorry, Mr. Aizawa." Midoriya bowed and then ran back to his platform with his water bottle in hand.

As he approached his platform he drank as much water as he could and then pressed the blue button causing his time to continue. He was now 6 minutes behind putting him only 1 minute ahead of Iida. If he wanted to finish with enough time to get ready for his date, he had to stay focused. He looked over at Todoroki who, in spite of having not taken a break, was still going very strong and it didn't appear that he would be taking a break any time soon. Midoriya wondered why he was so determined.

"Hey, Icy Hot! Looks like we're the only ones that haven't taken a break. You must be really anxious to get to your date with Deku!" Bakugo screamed. "If that's the case, you're even more of a loser than I thought you were!"

"Shut up, Bakugo," Todoroki stated simply. "The point of this exercise is for us not to be distracted."

"Todoroki is right!" Iida exclaimed. "Stop trying to distract him Bakugo. Focus on your own training."

"Bite me, Iida."


	4. Chapter 4

**Friday February 14, 2020 2:55 pm**

Bakugo and Todoroki had both finished their training just a few moments ago and Midoriya was counting down until he was finished. _3 minutes_, he repeated to himself as he watched his clock slowly tick towards 5 hours. Sadly several of the other had fallen quite a bit behind as the simulated enemies began coming at them faster and harder over time. Some of them were still an hour or more away from finishing. The time ticked down to 2 minutes and Midoriya could taste the freedom. In just 2 short minutes he would be able to start getting ready for what may or may not be his first official same-sex date. Mr. Aizawa was right. He couldn't think about that right now. He couldn't let himself get distracted like that and risk getting knocked off of his platform. He was so tired he wasn't sure he would be able to stand up again once he was on the ground. "Stay focused," he mumbled to himself. He didn't notice but he began to mutter it to himself over and over again until finally the buzzer went off telling him the 5 hours were over. 'Most battles only last 30 minutes or maybe an hour and if they last longer than that, it isn't direct combat the entire time. After training in direct combat for 5 hours straight he felt he would be able to withstand any battle. But of course he was fighting a simulated enemy who caused far less injury than a traditional enemy and he knew ahead of time that he would be fighting for 5 hours and was able to mentally prepare to save him energy which he knew wouldn't be totally similar to traditional combat either. He was muttering to himself as he walked off of the platform and didn't notice the dichromatic head of hair waiting for him.

"Midoriya!" Todoroki yelled as he jogged to catch up to him.

Midoriya pulled himself out of his trance and looked up, "Todoroki! I didn't see you there."

"I could tell. I just wanted to catch up to you so we could make plans for tonight while we walk back to the dorms," Todoroki stated simply.

"Oh, yeah. Sure," Midoriya said as they both started walking in the direction of the dorms. "I am not really sure what we should do. I've never done this kind of thing. I've never actually been on a date before. I mean not that this is a date. Is this a date or did you just agree to go out with me so Mineta could go on a date?"

"Would the label we put on tonight make you behave any differently?" Todoroki inquired.

Midoriya was taken aback. He hadn't expected Todoroki to ask his this kind of a question. He wasn't sure how to answer. Yes things would be different if it was a date but if he said that would Todoroki know that he had feelings for him? "I – I'm not sure."

"Are you uncomfortable going on a date with me?" Came another inquisition from Todoroki.

"What?! No!" Midoriya yelled. He made his voice lower, "I wouldn't be uncomfortable. I would be – I would be nervous. Like I said, I've never been on a date before. I don't know what to expect or what to do."

"I see," Todoroki started. "Would you be too nervous? I don't want you to be nervous to spend time with me. If it helps, I've never been on a date either. Not really."

"That does make me feel a little better actually. I don't think I would be too nervous if you wanted it to be a real date. Although some nerves are expected with any date. Or so I've heard."

"Well Yaoyorozu already gave me the date envelope with all of the money and date ideas in it. I say we get showered off and then pick something from the list. It's extensive," Todoroki explained.

Midoriya nodded in agreement as they approached their dorms, "I will meet you in the common room in 30 minutes so we can make the final plan."

Both boys silently headed towards the showers to get cleaned up. Midoriya was literally shaking in his boots and he couldn't tell if it was due to the muscle exhaustion or the nerves that were settling in now more than ever. Todoroki wanted it to be a date but did he want it to be a date or did he just not want to be rude since Yaoyorozu went through so much trouble to make the list or date ideas? Midoriya still couldn't tell if Todoroki wanted this or if it had been forced upon him by the girls, but he didn't have time to worry about that if he was going to meet Todoroki in 30 short minutes. He ran around his room in a panic as he wondered how the rest of the night was going to go.


	5. Chapter 5

**Friday February 14, 2020 3:37 pm**

Midoriya was frantic. He was already a minute late to the common room and he was still in his boxers. He had spent to long in the bathroom but he wanted to make sure he looked and smelled nice after the grueling training thrown at them that day. He had styled his hair more so than he usually did, brushed his teeth, put on cologne, and was now searching every place he could think of for a clean pair of jeans. He let out a sigh of relief when he opened his closet doors and a pair of dark jeans tumbled out from the shelf above his head. He always forgot to look up there when he was in a hurry.

He slipped into the jeans and threw his white shirt that said "t-shirt" across the chest. He didn't have time to question how he looked so he sprinted out the door to the common room. Of course, Todoroki was already sitting there with his usual, tough demeanor adorning his features. His hair was dripping slightly onto his bright yellow t-shirt with no designs scribbled across it. He too was wearing a dark pair of jeans and smelled of cologne. Midoriya had never known Todoroki to wear cologne and it made him feel somewhat honored to be the reason, "Sorry I'm late."

"Barely," Todoroki noted. "Don't worry about it."

Midoriya nodded and took a seat on the couch catty-cornered to the chair Todoroki was seated in. The list of date ideas was neatly spread out in front of him on the table. Midoriya's eyes immediately went to, 'Black Light Arcade' and a smile stretched across his face, "That sounds like fun."

"Which one?" Todoroki asked calmly.

Midoriya's head snapped up as he realized that he had said that out loud, "Oh, sorry. I was talking about the Black Light Arcade. I didn't know we had one of those in this area."

A smile touched Todoroki's features, "I thought that one might catch your attention. According to this list we are supposed to pick one place to eat and one activity. That can be our activity if you'd like. You're right. It could be fun."

A small blush came across Midoriya's cheeks, "I didn't mean to force you to do what I wanted. You can choose the restaurant since I chose the activity."

Todoroki chuckled and shook his head, "You didn't make me feel that way, but if it's alright, I would like to choose the restaurant. There is one listed here that sounds interesting to me."

"Yeah! Sure!" Chimed Midoriya. "Which one are you looking at?"

"Fire & Ice. Apparently they have a Hibachi Grill as well as ice cream made in house. Considering my quirk I thought that may be rather fitting. If you don't mind eating there of course," He added the last statement while looking up at Midoriya hopefully. Even if Midoriya hadn't been interested in that restaurant he wouldn't have been able to turn it down when he knew how happy it would make Todoroki.

"That sounds great!" He let out ecstatically.

Todoroki smiled and looked at the ground before standing up, "We should finish getting ready. I am sure there will be a line at the restaurant considering the holiday."


	6. Chapter 6

**Friday February 14, 2020 4:50 pm**

_Why isn't she answering her phone_, Midoriya huffed at himself. The room was destroyed with clothes and shoes he decided weren't good enough. He wanted to wear something halfway between casual and a suit so he would feel comfortable at the arcade and at the Hibachi but everything he put on felt too casual or too stuffy. He wasn't good at these things. He certainly didn't fit the stereotype about his sexuality being good with clothes.

He had attempted to call Uraraka 7 times in the last 10 minutes and she still hadn't answered. He decided if he couldn't get ahold of her, he would follow his gut. He threw his dark jeans and white "t-shirt" t-shirt back on and felt ridiculous for having changed his clothes so many times only to end up back in the same thing he had been wearing already. He put on his red boots and a red leather jacket All Might had bought him for Christmas. It was similar in style to a traditional suit jacket but was much flashier and had a pin on the lapel which represented UA. Midoriya saw it as his most valued item of clothing even if it was just a little too big on him.

He walked over to the mirror where he fixed his hair one more time and reapplied his cologne. He took several deep breaths as he gave himself a pep talk in the mirror. He was trying to convince himself that everything would feel normal and he would just go and have a good time with his friend, but his mind was flooded with 'what if' questions that he couldn't seem to answer. _What if Todoroki wants to hold my hand? What if he doesn't and I reach for his hand and he is disgusted by the gesture? What if he wants me to hold his hand and I don't and then he is disappointed and never knows how I feel? What if he tries to kiss me and I don't know what to do because I've never kissed anyone before? What if I get caught up in everything and act too much like the obsessed boy that I am and it scares him off not only from wanting to go on a date with me again, but from wanting to be my friend as well?_

His thoughts were cut off by a knock on the door. It was 5:00 on the dot. Todoroki was as punctual as always. Midoriya took one final deep breath before walking over to open the door. He was blown away but what he saw when he did. Todoroki had a similar idea to Midoriya and wore the same dark jeans and yellow t-shirt from earlier but was now wearing a brown suede jacket and brown suede shoes with it. His hair looked almost the same as it usually did but it was smoother and you could tell he took extra time to make sure it was well maintained. His cologne was still evident and Midoriya could only think to describe it as the smell of the forest.

As Midoriya stood in the doorway, surely looking like a drooling idiot, Todoroki took a look behind him and smirked. Midoriya turned around to see what Todoroki was looking at and realized his room was a disaster area. All color drained from his face as he shoved Todoroki out of the doorway so he could close the door behind him, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to see that! It doesn't usually look so messy! I mean it's a little messy – I'm a teenage boy but it never looks like that, I swear!"

Todoroki cut him off by putting a hand on his shoulder, "Midoriya, calm down. I didn't react to it because I think you're messy. I reacted because I know you're not. It was just nice to see I wasn't the only one who destroyed their room for this."

Midoriya let out a sigh of relief and then his cheeks immediately turned bright red as Todoroki's words sank in, "Oh."

"You look nice," Todoroki started. "The jacket All Might gave you is a bit large. Knowing him, I feel he was probably hinting that you'll grow into it eventually."

Midoriya couldn't help but laugh, "Probably so."

The air between them got quiet and Midoriya wasn't sure what to compliment Todoroki on. Everything about him looked so perfect, but he always felt that way. Midoriya found himself wanting to compliment his eyes more than anything but thought that might set an awkward tone for the rest of the evening and decided to choose a different approach. He felt more tense as more seconds ticked by and knew if he didn't say something, it would be as awkward as if he said the wrong thing, so he decided to go with his gut and blurted out without hesitation, "You smell like the forest!"

Todoroki flinched at the outburst but found himself chucking about it immediately after, "Thank you."

Midoriya turned bright red until his face nearly matched his jacket and thought to himself that it may have actually been better to have said nothing at all.

"Do you know where the restaurant is?" Midoriya asked quietly.

Todoroki pulled out his phone, "I programmed the address into my GPS earlier. We should be able to walk there. The arcade is farther away, however. We will have to take the train to get there."

"I see," Midoriya stated calmly. "Then we should get going so we aren't out past curfew."

Todoroki began to walk towards the exit, "Of course."

As they started walking through the building, Midoriya noticed something he hadn't before. Several of his classmates were wandering around the dorms with clothes or shoes in their hands, racing to other dorm rooms to get ready with their friends. He was so distracted that he ran right into one of them. Uraraka made an "oof" sound as she hit the ground.

Midoriya extended his hand to help her back to her feet, "Uraraka I am so sorry. I didn't see you there."

Uraraka got back on her feet and wiped herself off, "No I should be sorry. I was running to your room because I saw that I missed 7 calls from you. I was worried that something was wrong and was hoping to get to you before you left for your date at 5. But I see I am too late for that. Enjoy your date and I will talk to you about everything tomorrow."

Midoriya nodded his head and then looked back to Todoroki. He smiled and walked over to his date, who was holding the door open for him, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Todoroki stated simply as he stepped into the elevator behind Midoriya. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop but I couldn't help but overhear Uraraka mention that she had 7 missed calls from you. Is everything okay?"

Midoriya got tense immediately, "Uh. Yeah! Everything is great! I don't even remember why I called her. It was probably nothing"

"You're a bad liar Midoriya," Was all Todoroki said before he stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the building onto the street.

Midoriya knew this statement was true but he wished that it wasn't. He followed right behind Todoroki as they made their way to the restaurant and hoped there were no other situations where he would need to lie about his feelings for Todoroki as he wasn't sure that he would be able to keep up the act all night.

As they walked they talked about their training and what foods they thought would be on the menu. They kept the conversation light and Todoroki didn't press him for information, for which he was grateful. When they arrived at the restaurant they were told they wouldn't be seated for over an hour because they had so many people to serve. Todoroki insisted that they could go somewhere with a shorter waiting period but Midoriya told the waiter to put them on the list. He knew that would mean not being able to stay at the arcade for very long, but he was fine with that as long as he was able to make Todoroki happy The waiter wrote down Midoriya's phone number and said he would call them when it was their turn to be seated.

The two boys walked out of the restaurant and were both relieved to have some fresh air as the entrance to the restaurant was very cramped and the air was thick. The decided to walk around some of the shops while they waited but when they didn't find anything that really caught their eye, the pair sat on a bench across the street from the restaurant and started talking. This time the topics were slightly heavier than they had been, but the air between them remained as comfortable as it always was. Midoriya started rambling on about how guilty he felt for worrying his mother the way he did and Todoroki used his left hand to rub his back empathetically so as not to interrupt him. However, the action caused Midoriya's voice to come to an abrupt halt. Midoriya loved the sensation of Todoroki's warmth radiating through him and a flush creeped across his cheeks against his will. He had to force himself to push through and maintain a meaningful conversation.

"I know she supports me being here, but I can't help but feel I am putting my dreams ahead of her happiness," Midoriya explained as he attempted, mostly unsuccessfully, to hold back the tears.

Todoroki continued to rub his hand across Midoriya's back, "Don't you think it makes her happy to see you following your dreams? She's your mother, Midoriya, and she seems like an excellent woman. I'm sure she's happy because you're happy."

"But I am worrying her."

Todoroki chuckled, "You would worry her if you were at home too. If she wasn't worried about your training, she would be worried about something else. That's how mothers work. I wouldn't feel guilty for her natural, motherly instinct."

Midoriya didn't have much time to contemplate what was said as his phone began to ring. It was the host at Fire & Ice telling him that a table was ready. Midoriya wiped the tears from his face as Todoroki stood up and motioned across the street with both hands, "After you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Friday February 14, 2020 6:26 pm**

Midoriya had never given sexuality much thought. He knew that he was attracted to other men and that knowledge had always been his own private information. Had he been attracted to women he wouldn't go out announcing it to the world so he always thought that he was simply being private, not ashamed. However, sitting in a restaurant surrounded by people who were staring at him while he was on a Valentine's Date with another man admittedly made him feel very uncomfortable. He didn't want it to feel that way, and he attempted to shove those feelings aside so he could enjoy his date, but they kept bubbling back to the surface. Why did he feel this way? Todoroki was a person he should feel honored to be out with and part of him did feel that way, so why did he also feel sick to his stomach wondering what everyone was thinking of them?

"Midoriya, you've barely touched your food. Is everything alright?" Todoroki asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He faked a laugh, "What? Yes! Everything is great! I'm sorry. I got a little lost in my thoughts there. I do that a lot." He apologized.

"I've noticed," Todoroki stated simply. "What are you thinking about when you do that?"

Midoriya knew he couldn't tell him what he was thinking about this time and for some reason he was drawing a blank to come up with something else that he thinks about when he pulls himself into a trance like that. While he was racking his brain for anything to offer as an answer, Todoroki turned his attention back to his food, "You don't have to tell me."

"No!" Midoriya yelled as he placed his hand on Todoroki's arm and squeezed slightly, "I mean, no. I want to tell you. I'm just really nervous right now and I'm having trouble controlling my thoughts."

Midoriya hadn't meant to be so honest. A blush grew across his face as he let go of Todoroki's arm and turned back to his food, "Usually I am thinking about how to be a better hero. I dissect villains' and pro heroes' fighting styles and determine what I can integrate into my own fighting style and how I can quickly find my opponents' weaknesses using strategies they have used. Since I haven't had my quirk all my life, I worry that I'm never going to fully master it so I put a lot of energy into using more than just my quirk to be a good hero."

When Midoriya brought his gaze back to Todoroki he found that he was already staring at him, "Being a hero is about a lot more than just being a hero to you, isn't it?"

Midoriya sighed, "Yes. I don't tell many people this, but growing up I was certain that I would never have a quirk. It was a disappointment to say the least. I didn't want my mom to feel that kind of disappointment as well so I studied everything I could think of so I could become a hero without using a quirk and make her proud of me. I just want to be the kind of person that can make people proud and keep people safe."

"Is that what you were thinking about just now?" Todoroki questioned. "Were you thinking about being a good hero?"

Midoriya looked up at Todoroki, being sure not to make direct eye contact, "Not exactly."

"So what exactly were you thinking about, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well," Midoriya started before forcing himself to look into Todoroki's eyes, "I was thinking about you. In a sense."

Todoroki appeared surprised, "In a sense? What about me?"

Midoriya lowed his head and started eating again, "I don't know. The way you make me feel, I guess."

"And how do I make you feel?"

"I- I don't know," He answered honestly. "Good mostly. Nervous sometimes. Comfortable usually. Although right now I am a little uncomfortable."

"Because of me?"

"No!" Midoriya yelled again. "I mean, no. Not because of you. Not really. It's just – Todoroki, people are looking at us. Does that not make you uncomfortable?"

"I hadn't really noticed," Todoroki shrugged as he went back to eating his meal.

"You hadn't noticed?! How had you not noticed?!"

Todoroki shrugged again, "I tend to focus my attention on one thing at a time unless I sense that there is danger around and I need to adjust my focus. I'm not focused on them right now. I have no reason to be."

Midoriya felt guilty for letting himself get so distracted by outside entities when he should be focusing all of his energy on his date. The two finished their meal and Todoroki sat the money on the table, "Are you ready for dessert."

Midoriya lit up, "I'd love dessert!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Friday February 14, 2020 7:17 pm**

Todoroki and Midoriya made their way to catch the train, ice cream in hand. As Midoriya devoured his cone, he caught Todoroki looking at him from the corner of his eye and suddenly felt self-conscious. He stopped eating and gave Todoroki a half-smile, "I may have gotten carried away."

Todoroki gave him a full smile in return, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I've enjoyed everything tonight so far, "Midoriya admitted.

"As have I," Todoroki stated before looking down at his hands.

Midoriya found that the closer they got to the train, the less he wanted to continue on to the arcade. He wanted to find a quiet place where he could talk to Todoroki and take in everything that he could. He didn't know why, but when he found something interesting he always felt the need to study it. He wanted to know every last detail that he could about it and he would get almost obsessive until he felt satisfied that he got enough information, "Is it okay if I changed my mind about the arcade?"

Todoroki stopped walking, his ice cream now gone and his hands in his pockets, "You don't want to finish the date?"

Midoriya snapped around, "That's not what I meant! Of course I want to finish the date! I just don't want to go to the arcade! I should have been more clear! I'm so sorry!"

"I see," Todoroki stated as he let out a sigh. "What else did you have in mind?"

"Uh… I'm not sure. I just know that I've liked talking to you and if we go to the arcade we won't get to do that as much." He became quiet for only a few seconds, "I was hoping you would have an idea."

"So you want to be alone?" Todoroki asked, his expression completely devoid of emotion.

Midoriya blushed a bright shade of red, "Uh. Yes. I guess that's what I'm saying."

Todoroki turned on his heel and started walking to the East of where they had currently been walking, "Then let's head this way. It's only a 10 minute walk from here."

Midoriya had several questions about where they were going but decided to keep them to himself as he followed just behind Todoroki. A short time later they were standing in front of a small, ornate building of white and gold with small red and yellow embellishments. It was unique in architecture compared to all of the other buildings around it. It was beautiful but looked as if it had been built by someone who was good at what they were doing, but certainly not a professional.

"What is this place?" Midoriya asked while he took in the sight in front of him.

"This is my home," Todoroki simply walked up to the door and pulled out a key. Once the door was open he motioned for Midoriya to follow in after him, "Or at least it will be. Are you coming?"

Midoriya nodded his head and stepped through the threshold. The inside of the home was not unlike the outside. The floor was solid mahogany and the walls used the same color scheme as the outside. There was beautiful hand-carved wooden furniture decorating each room but it was difficult to see because the electric was off. Todoroki walked over to the far wall and lit several candles before taking a seat on a low-to-the-ground couch towards the center of the floor. Midoriya wanted to ask several questions but kept them locked in his head as he walked across the room towards Todoroki. He took the seat on the opposite side of the couch from Todoroki so there was a cushion between them. Midoriya's hands lay in his lap as he fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. He found that being alone with Todoroki in this beautiful, mysterious setting surrounded by candlelight made him very nervous. He hadn't expected their date to become so romantic.

Todoroki cleared his throat quietly, "You're lost in thought again, I see."

Midoriya chuckled, "Mostly I'm just wondering where we are."

"I told you."

"Vaguely."

The room fell quiet and Midoriya started to think he wouldn't get an answer, "Do you remember how I told you that my father forced my mother into a Quirk Marriage?"

Midoriya nodded his head as he watched Todoroki's expression become increasingly stern.

"When my parents were first married, my father was determined to find something to force her to fall in love with him. She fought him at every turn and eventually he left her. It was only for a summer but she thought it was forever. She told me once that it was one of the happiest times of her life. When he came back her heart was broken because she knew that meant the marriage would continue and she would be stuck with him until whatever children they had were grown. When he brought her here to show her what he had built for her all she could do was cry. He called her unappreciative, took her home, beat and raped her, and 9 months later I was born. My mother was so disgusted by this place that when she was sent away, she left the keys in my room with a letter explaining that she wanted me to have it because this house is the reason I was born and as much as she hated this place, she loved me. She said 'this home gave me you and for that I will always be grateful.' I only come here when I really miss her. I've never brought anyone else here or even told anyone about it. I trust that you can keep this between us."

Todoroki looked over at Midoriya who smiled shyly and scooted closer to Todoroki on the couch. He reached out and put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder, "Of course."

Todoroki looked to the ground, "I don't only come here when I miss my mother. Sometimes I come here when I'm angry with my father. I know it's probably wrong, but when he behaves the way we all know that he does, I come here to remind myself that I don't have to be just like him. This building reminds me that even though my father is not a good man, he can create good things."

Midoriya continued to rub Todoroki's shoulder and back as he saw him getting more emotional.

"This home is the only good thing my father has ever made."

"That isn't true," Midoriya slipped out quietly before he could think. Todoroki turned to face him and Midoriya felt his body stiffen. "I mean – I just meant – he made you."

The two found themselves searching the face of the other for signs of how they were feeling. Todoroki hoped Midoriya couldn't see the rush of pride that he felt in response to his statement. Midoriya hoped Todoroki couldn't see the embarrassment. Each of them prayed that the attraction wasn't washing across their features.

Midoriya's mind started to wander back to his worries from before the date started. Should he hold Todoroki's hand? Should he lean in to kiss him? Should he pull away before he made him uncomfortable? Before he had the opportunity to answer his own questions he saw Todoroki leaning away from him, "I think maybe we should head back to the dorms. We wouldn't want you to get put on house arrest again."

Midoriya chuckled as he stood up a little too quickly, "That's crazy! That's what I was thinking too!"

Midoriya turned to walk off and almost ran head first into the wall. Todoroki put a hand on Midoriya's shoulder from behind and held it firmly to keep him from running into the wall, "Midoriya, be careful."

"Heh heh, right. Sorry," Midoriya said as he opened the front door and walked out. He could hear Todoroki locking the door and lightly jogging to catch up with him. He hadn't realized how quickly he was moving until then.

"Is everything okay, Midoriya?"

"Yes!" Midoriya said a little higher pitched than he had anticipated. "Of course!"

"You are still a terrible liar, Midoriya," Todoroki asserted for the second time that night. "You aren't having a good time, are you?"

Midoriya was taken aback. He was so worried that Todoroki would catch on to his feelings that he may have acted a little too disinterested. He stopped walking and turned around, the dorms now behind him by only a few blocks, "I have enjoyed everything tonight. I told you, I've never been on a date before. I'm not entirely sure what is and isn't appropriate here. Especially since this isn't a real date for you."

"It isn't a real date for me?" Todoroki asked confused. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"I mean," Midoriya hesitated before completely exploding with emotion. "I mean how could this possible be a real date to you? You only agreed to go on this date when Mineta needed us to do so to go on a date of his own. When I was back in that room thinking about kissing you, you pulled away as if the thought was disgusting to you. And – and do you even like men in that way? Could this possibly be a real date to you if you don't even like men in that way?"

Todoroki lowered his head before taking a step closer to Midoriya and taking one of his hands, "I didn't agree to anything for Mineta. He is my classmate and I respect his abilities but he creeps me out. I agreed to this date because even the worst case scenario would be getting to spend a night with one of my closest friends. I wasn't disgusted by the idea of kissing you. I had no idea you were even considering it. And as far as my sexual orientation I – well I have no idea."

Midoriya looked up into Todoroki's eyes as he took a breath before he continued speaking, "Midoriya, I have spent my entire life so focused on training and winning and hating my father that I have never even noticed anyone of any gender and I've certainly never considered dating them. I honestly have never thought that I could have romantic feelings for anyone." Midoriya felt himself tearing up and was about to turn away when Todoroki added, "Until you."

Midoriya's breath got caught in his throat and before he had a second to contemplate his actions, he pulled Todoroki closer to him with the hand he was already holding until their chests were touching and their lips were mere centimeters apart. Midoriya closed his eyes and brushed his lips against Todoroki's. He could feel the distinct difference in temperature from one side of his lips to the other. When he stopped to notice it, he could feel the same difference in temperature across Todoroki's chest as it pressed against his own. He melted into the feeling and before he knew what was happening Todoroki closed the very minimal distance between their lips and they were each wrapped up in their first kiss. It was sloppy and unrehearsed as most first kisses were, but Midoriya thought it was perfect. He loved the feeling of Todoroki's bitter cold and burning hot lips. He loved the taste of his tongue. He loved the feeling of their fingers intertwined. He hated how quickly it was over when they both pulled away. The stood there staring at each other for a moment, each with the same goofy grin spread across their face.

"What are you two doing just standing here when curfew is in half an hour?" Iida said as he and Yaoyorozu walked up to them hand in hand.

Yaoyorozu looked down and saw that Midoriya and Todoroki were also holding hands and that they were both starting to turn a deep shade of pink which caused her to stifle a squeal of delight and invite the two to walk back with her and Iida. They each talked about their dates as they walked back to the dorms, hand-in-hand with their respective dates. They discussed how they thought the dates went for the others and had this question answered for one couple sooner than they had expected. As soon as they walked through the entrance to the dorm courtyard they saw Uraraka and Bakugo exchanging a chaste kiss. Yaoyorozu whistled at them and they broke apart. When Bakugo looked over and saw everyone standing there he began to yell, "Why are you all just standing there watching us?! Were your own dates so boring that you had to come back here and watch ours?! You're all pathetic."

Uraraka rolled her eyes and led Bakugo inside by the wrist. Yaoyorozu and Iida followed them inside shortly after leaving only Midoriya and Todoroki standing in the courtyard. Midoriya turned to Todoroki, "Before we get rushed inside and asked a million questions, I just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day, Shoto." Though his face was a deep shade of red, Midoriya stood on his tiptoes and gave Todoroki one last, goodnight kiss before they turned to head inside.


End file.
